


Path of Kings

by Alycoris



Series: Xros Wars Saga [1]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Xros Wars | Digimon Fusion
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-01
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-28 03:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alycoris/pseuds/Alycoris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xros Heart's story has yet to end. The path of a king is a harsh one, after all. Yet, despite what trials and tribulations lie before these candidates, there are still those who attempt to find their way.</p><p>Won't you join them in seeking the truth of this Digital World?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This tale you may come to read is a coming of age story. A strange, yet heartrending story...
> 
> Please, read their tale until the very end.

As Humans and Digimon themselves know it, this Digital World and Human World have always existed separately.

Despite the growing existence of those who would call themselves “Digimon Hunters”, only few have immersed themselves in this World.

There are few who truly understand its nature.

As it should be.

This Digital World is a complex world, you see.

It bears many histories, and exists in many other realities– Different in comparison to each other, yet all of these tell the same tale.

Do you know the story of the Legendary Heroes of the other Digital Worlds?

Perhaps... If not, this one will tell you another time in detail. For now:

The stories of these children who have inherited courage...

These are tales of children who grow in the face of adversity –

Humans and Digimon, who adventure into the unknown.

Those who would dream of the future.

Those who conquer their frontier, and those who chose to fight brandishing nothing but their resolve.

However, you see... this saga, truly has yet to meet its end. It continues forever on to be penned.

The tale you will read belongs to those who have won the Xros Wars; familiar with that, are you?

The story of a young child who dreamt to become a King that could protect the happiness of others.

But, it should be said, that his tale is shared by those whose hearts were united under a single flag-

That is, to simply say- **Xros Heart**.

... Ah? You know that name?

Forgive this one for having digressed.

Allow this one to turn the page, and let their story unfold anew –

A tale of one who walks the path of a true king, and those who would walk that path alongside him.

 


	2. Call Back to the Digital World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another journey begins. And it always starts with a call.

The human world was decidedly different from his own, Shoutmon noted. Regardless of what differences there were, the similarities were enough to keep his attention trained on it, as well as his own world.

For one, the Human World was where Taiki, and the rest of the human members of Xros Heart were. He had an obligation to keep them safe as well.

Back then, thinking back on that day where he had defended their town from a head officer's rampage... He felt more than a little bad for the fact he hadn't stopped Tactimon from destroying that bridge. However, as he came to investigate after his return to investigate DigiQuartz, it seemed that nearly all traces of Digital World influence had been 'reset' from Taiki's world. Including the wreckage and injuries of  _that_  day, to the day the Legendary Heroes came to aid them.

It was jarring, but he didn't complain.

He assumed he could thank the Code Crown for restoring both worlds... or maybe their restoration had to do the disappearance of Quartzmon's reality. Whatever the case, he felt glad that it was over. Now he had more important things to keep in mind – like how to foster good relations between the worlds.

Even if he wanted to just declare the Digital World's existence, a part of his better judgment told him that it was better for the former to not know of the latter-- not yet, anyway.

Whenever that day came, he hoped Taiki would be around to guide him.

 _Wouldn't that be something?_  So the Digimon King thought to himself, as he began humming a surprisingly soft tune.

Despite being allegedly known for his brashness and soul of rock, humming a melody so softly seemed to be out of Shoutmon’s character. He knew that, and did only thus when he was alone. After all – he had an image to maintain, right? The last thing he wanted was others to think that he had gone soft.

“Shoutmon?”

Attention caught, the king looked back to his general and very best friend. Taiki, now fourteen, stared at him from the door, with Xros Loader strapped to his side.

“Oh, Taiki. I didn't see you there.” Shoutmon snorted, shrugging off his internal swear and sitting down with his microphone tucked over his shoulder. “Why didn't you say anything, huh?”

“You seemed to be thinking about something.” Taiki chuckled, resting his hands at his sides as he stepped into the room and took a seat on a nearby computer chair. “Was it the Digital World? I mean, you guys are still looking into DigiQuartz, aren't you?”

“Heeeey, didn't I already tell you? Ever since that sneaky bastard reverted back into an egg, all DigiQuartz disappeared. Both in the Human World, _and_  Digital World.” Shoutmon paused, glancing to Taiki. “If you're still worried, I could ask Wisemon to give you the long explanation–”

“Haha,” Taiki cut-in with a dry laugh, looking exasperatedly at his partner. “I'd have to pass on that.”

Shoutmon could only snicker in response. As brainy as Taiki was, not even he wanted to sit through one of Wisemon's lectures.

As there was a pause between the partners, Taiki took that time to wonder if Shoutmon was thinking about the same things he was.

It had already been half a couple months since that event, and once again, their lives had slipped into a sense of normalcy. After the events of their last bout with Quartzmon had ended, and Gumdramon returning to the Human World, the Xros Heart General believed it was only a matter of time until Shoutmon would come back, too.

And he had, of course. During the middle of dinner, to which his mom freaked out – at least, initially. After the shock wore off, she invited Shoutmon to sit down and eat with them. Later, Houko Kudou could only thank Shoutmon for watching over her son and always keeping him safe during their adventures together – much to Taiki's own chagrin.

In the passing months, Taiki would be heading off to high school and began to study endlessly in preparation for that – Shoutmon himself, despite his busy days as the Digimon King, still made a point to drop by Taiki's home when he had the chance, as he put it, “to blow off steam”. Even then, Shoutmon never complained about his job or title; it really made the Xros Heart General think that his partner had grown up a lot by comparison to how he was when they first met.

Subsequently, it made Taiki proud to see that Shoutmon had come so far.

But for another summer to have come so quickly... Taiki couldn't help but think that it was a relatively boring one.

While he made a point to still help out in sports club activities as a temporary member, surprisingly, there wasn't a need for him to help out. Akari probably would've been glad.

Speaking of Akari, both she and Zenjirou would come to hang out too - unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. The former— well, as much as Taiki wanted to call her to hang out or invite her over to dinner, he felt that she probably had more important things to do than just come over to hang out on a whim. Zenjirou himself, was in another district entirely due to his high school's participation in a kendo tournament.

Both Yuu and Nene were out on vacation, and Kiriha—?

Kiriha came and went as he pleased. He never really stayed in touch, but he did make a point to call whenever he was heading back over to Koto from overseas.

Tagiru? Well, he assumed that his enthusiastic underclassman was out hunting Digimon. Knowing Tagiru, that probably was the case.

As Taiki began to think back, he thought, that time was a funny thing. Just a couple years ago, he was just a normal kid with a bad habit, as Akari put it.

He could still clearly remember that very first meeting in that alley; that meeting that had both changed their lives forever, to every experience they had shared together with Xros Heart. Now, he felt, the peace that the two of them had won was rightly justified.

He hoped that these days would always go on.

“Say, Shoutmon.” Taiki murmured, leaning against the chair and glancing at his partner. “What was that tune you were humming?”

“Eh?”

“You know– that melody you were humming just a while ago?”

“Oh, that.” Shoutmon shrugged nonchalantly. “I dunno. It doesn't have a name.”

“Really?”

“What? You've never thought of a random song or something?”

“Well, no?” Taiki scratched his cheek. For someone with the ability to hear DigiMelodies, he didn't have much of an ear for music. It was a little ironic, maybe.

Shoutmon gave him a look.

“Y'know when a song gets stuck in your head, and you just can't ever seem to get it out for some reason?”

“Not that I listen to a whole lot of music, but I do know what you mean.” Taiki nodded. “Is that was it is?”

“Pretty much.” Shoutmon stretched, falling backwards on Taiki's bed and dismissing his mic in the same motion. “It kinda reminds me of Green Zone. Maybe I heard it back there or something? Eh, I wouldn't think about it too much.” He shrugged. “Say, is dinner almost done?”

“Ah, yeah. My mom sent me to go get you.” He nodded. It had slipped his mind completely the moment he heard Shoutmon humming, though.

“Hell yeah!” The Digimon King shouted, grinning as he sat up and promptly hopped off the bed and walked out the door. Taiki couldn't help but grin as well as he followed after.

“You know,” Taiki commented. “I don't think I've ever seen someone so eager to eat my mom's cooking.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Your mom's a pretty good cook, Taiki!” Shoutmon chided, glancing back at the Xros Heart General. Taiki was almost surprised, but what came next caused his expression to shift into a vaguely bewildered one.

“Sheesh, be thankful, wouldn't you, Taiki? At least you  _have_  a mom.”

For a moment, as they both continued down the stairs to the kitchen, Taiki wanted to ask what his partner meant by that.

 

* * *

 

 

Elsewhere, in the Digital World, Wisemon could not think of the same in the peace and normalcy this situation brought to him.

For Wisemon, he could only think of the work that needed to be done, and the research that required completion – which, of course, he preferred.

Rather than having nothing to do, he preferred to busy himself with his own devices or machinations, when not tasked with something his King issued him. Funny. Was he supposed to think of Shoutmon as his king, or as a friend? Whatever the case, the scientist thought of him as both. Even if the concept of friendship still baffled him.

Disregarding the question and turning his attention to the machine before him, he began to eagerly start his work. His latest project being able to transport Digimon from their World to their own... well, now he was working on a different subject to transport. Namely, humans.

Laughing softly to himself, he wondered how surprised his lab animal would be in that occurrence.

Unfortunately, Wisemon's amused thoughts were unpleasantly cut short by an explosion from outside the hallway.

“Well now. This certainly doesn't bode well.”

As another explosion blew away yet another wall outside of his chamber, Wisemon contemplated the best course of action. Well, if there was such a thing possible under this current predicament. After all, the majority of the members of Xros Heart were in that other world, were they not?

It might have not been the best of times to continue thinking, as another wall crumbled. Glancing back, Wisemon could only think and observe the decaying of the wall – as if it were being eaten by... DigiQuartz, of all things.

“Impossible.”

Quartzmon's egg had been stored away. How could DigiQuartz exist now?

Well, clearly that must have meant that someone discovered his egg's location. Due to the presence of DigiQuartz, Wisemon could only assume that someone forced him to hatch as well.

Clearly, this wasn't good at all.

Wisemon knew for a fact that he had no chance against a foe like Quartzmon; he was an intellectual, not a fighter.

In that instance, materializing the space-time stones into his palms, he created an illusion of the room. It would only buy him time, so he thought, but if he were to act fast, it would be more than enough.

Even if everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams, but that was an aside point. He had to focus on his objective, and the illusion was only mean to stall out until then.

Running to the machine console, Wisemon restarted the interface – working rapidly as he had before when hacking Hell's Field.

Yes, he wasn't a fighter. Fighting was never an option for him, when others could do that so much better by comparison.

With that in mind, the best option to Wisemon was to call back the King.

 

* * *

 

 

“Heh! See Taiki?” Shoutmon chortled at the dinner table, hands on his stomach and empty bowl in front of him as he laughed. “Even your mom knows you're a handful of trouble.”

“If I'm just a 'handful', I wonder what that makes you.” Taiki snarked back, before allowing a small smile on his face.

“Well, I certainly know for a fact that the both of you are good kids. It's good to see my son made a friend as nice as you, Shoutmon.” Houko smiled as she rested her chin on her hands. “You must be a joy for your parents!”

“Huh.” Shoutmon paused. His grin began to fade, in favor for a contemplative expression. “You think so?”

“What?” Taiki asked, peering over to his partner with an inquisitive look. “Is something wrong?”

“I sorta don't have parents, Taiki.” He replied, lifting a hand to scratch his cheek uncertainly.

Shoutmon's answer hit the Xros Heart General like a bag of bricks. How was it that he never knew that? After all this time, how was it that he was learning something like this right now? Sure, the question had never come up, and a part of him assumed that Shoutmon had been possibly orphaned, but still—

“Whaaaat?” Abruptly, Taiki was lulled out of his thoughts. In that moment, Shoutmon shrugged at him as he leaned back in his chair. “It's not like it's a big deal, Taiki. Jijimon found me as an egg at the Village of Smiles. If I had parents, they were probably deadbeats for leaving me there, but whatever.” He waved his hand dismissively. “It's not a big deal.”

“But, isn't that—”

“Isn't _what_ , Taiki?” The Digimon King asked with an almost critical tone. “If they didn't leave me there, I wouldn't have met you, the rest of Xros Heart, and wouldn't have become king! So it all works out.” Shoutmon said contently.

There was truth to what Shoutmon had said. Still, Taiki felt as if there was something Shoutmon wasn’t telling. The expression on the young king’s face was contemplative— bothered, almost. Before Taiki could bring himself to ask, Shoutmon let out a rather loud sigh.

“Ahhh,” Stretching and scooting his chair back to stand, Shoutmon smiled at Houko. “Thanks for the food! I'm gonna go upstairs real quick.”

“You're welcome, Shoutmon.” Houko smiled, as Shoutmon excused himself from the dinner table. “But if I may ask, what will you be doing?”

“Ah, it's nothing too major!” He laughed. “Just gonna check something reaaaal quick!”

“Okay! I'll have Taiki call you when dessert is ready, all right?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Shoutmon, no swearing in front of my mom...!” Taiki called after him as he left the kitchen. Whether he was heard or not was lost to him, as the Digimon King was out of sight, now.

As he sighed, Houko stood up and rested a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“You've probably noticed this, Taiki, but...” She paused, glancing to the place Shoutmon was last seen. “Just now, didn't it seem like Shoutmon was lonely?”

“... Yeah, it did.”

“You can go upstairs and talk to him. I'll call the both of you over when desert is ready, okay?” Houko smiled as she briefly ruffled Taiki's hair. While embarrassed, Taiki didn't argue against it. “Watching you two over the past couple of weeks – more than just fighting wars and playing general, it makes me happy to know he's kept you safe all that time.”

“Mom, it's not playing general – We fought for our lives back then!”

“I know. Even if it's all very hard for me to believe what you've told me about Digimon, the fact that Shoutmon is here now is proof enough, isn't it?” Houko commented, lifting her hand away from his head. “While it worries me that you're involved with dangerous things like that... and knowing how reckless you can be when Akari's not around to watch you—”

“ _Mom–”_

“–It makes me happy to know you've made such a wonderful friend, along with the rest of “Xros Heart”.” She murmured, giving him a light push on the back towards the stairs. “I haven't forgotten, Taiki. Now, go what you do best. I know you can't turn your back on him, right?” Houko smiled cheekily, much to Taiki's growing embarrassment.

Yet, he nodded.

“Thanks mom."

“Anytime. Now, go on and talk to him.” She smiled, resting her hands on her hips. “Knowing you, you must want to know what he's thinking, right?”

“Right!”

Nodding to his mother and nearly running up the stairs, he found himself opening the door to his room, only to find his Xros Loader glowing brightly on his desk and a current rushing past him. As Taiki struggled to open the door, seconds later, it was slammed shut. Shoutmon, at this moment, looked alarmed as he could be.

“Shit, what the hell is that guy thinking?!” Shoutmon's voice was raised as he tried to take hold of the crimson Xros Loader. Glaring into its screen, his expression became a serious one.

“Shoutmon?! What's going on?!”

“No time to explain, just–” Turning rapidly, Shoutmon grabbed Taiki's arm and placed it on the Xros Loader. “Load me back into the Xros Loader and whatever happens next, don't let go of it!”

Without arguing, Taiki did as instructed. As Shoutmon returned to the Xros Loader and light enveloped the room, Taiki braced himself for something he almost expected would never happen again.

 

* * *

 

 

DigiQuartz was certainly foul. Just like Hell's Field, and all the enemies they had fought at that time – with Lilithmon and DarkKnightmon being the most prominent in memory.

He remembered at one instance that Shoutmon explained that Quartzmon had assimilated everything within the Human World. It was likely that if given the chance and the means to do so, he would have taken the Digital World into himself as well.

He wondered why he recalled such assumptions at a time like this.

Of all situations, with his life on the line like this, Wisemon decided that he must work harder. Certainly, if he wanted to live to see another day.

As he finally finished the command prompt, with the DigiQuartz slowly eating throw his illusions and it creeping up on him and his robes from the floor, he hit the switch.

The machine roared to life in comparison to the quiet hum from before. Gears whirled rapidly as light flooded the chamber, and an expanse of blue and green digital space opened.

“Transfer complete.”

 

* * *

 

At that instant, without having the time to properly react, Taiki lost his footing as he was swallowed whole by the portal. A portal he could only comprehend as the ticket back to the Digital World.

It was as if he were being drawn through Digital Space like a magnet, with he Xros Loader pushing him through and past all obstacles-- but where was it taking him?"

As he was slingshotted towards the growing light at the end, Taiki’s thoughts brought him back to the time first time he had been sent there with Akari and Zenjirou. Only that time, it had been a freefall— kind of like now.

Unlike the last time Omegamon sent him through – it was more like the first time he had been sent there with Akari and Zenjiro. Which could mean that it would be –

Landing on the stone floor with a yelp, he jumped back to his feet almost immediately at seeing DigiQuartz festering on the ground.

“DigiQuartz...?!”

“Yes.” Wisemon said smoothly, picking up Taiki away from the floor and hovering in the middle of the room. Part of his robes had been eaten away, and despite being only to see his eyes, Taiki had the impression Wisemon was rather frazzled.

“Unlike the DigiQuartz I've heard about that festered in your dimension, it seems that this is rather unstable and can be eliminated with enough force.” Wisemon observed, pausing as he glanced down to Taiki. “Now, it would be wise of you to do something about it before this situation becomes direr.”

“Right!” It was like no time had passed for Taiki at all. Out of reflex, he held the Xros Loader up and yelled, “Shoutmon! Reload!”

“ _What the hell Taiki!?”_  Shoutmon protested from the Xros Loader. _“You're not gonna drop me in the middle of that_  – SHIT!”

As Shoutmon fell back towards the floor swearing, Taiki continued as the familiar riff of the Xros Loader rang through the room.

“Shoutmon! Starmon! Pickmons! DIGIXROS!”

In an instant, Starmon and Pickmons combined. Unlike the typical form of a sword, Taiki had something different in mind – the shape of a wheel. In the instant Shoutmon took hold of it, the wheel began to spin rapidly, allowing Shoutmon to hover through and power past the DigiQuartz in a shower of stardust.

“Shoutmon SH!” Taiki called. “Clear out the DigiQuartz first!”

“Got it!” Shoutmon grinned, the star wheel spinning rapidly as in enveloped the room in flash. “STAR SHINE!”

In an instant, along with a cascade of gold, the flecks of DigiQuartz melted away. Not letting up for a single moment, Shoutmon used the Star Wheel to propel himself to the walls that had been eaten away– only to find that no one was there. Through the corridors of their base, Shoutmon investigated each with blinding speed, clearing all the DigiQuartz in the process. Jijimon, Lillymon, among others were fighting the DigiQuartz as well, but what remained broken stayed broken.

Furthermore, the instigator was nowhere to be found.

Returning to the room where he had been transported to, Shoutmon was furious.

“Damn it!” He swore. “Did Quartzmon run!?”

“That seems to be the case. Who would dare fight Xros Heart?” Wisemon shook his head, setting Taiki back down on the floor, and sighing at his broken machine. “How terrible.”

“You're telling me.” Shoutmon grumbled, returning to the center of the wrecked room and landing without so much of a second thought. In that instant, the Star Wheel reverted back into Starmon and Pickmons. “That bastard ate through the majority of our base. I have no idea what he was aiming for though.”

“That Quartzmon guy is a coward, brother!" Starmon yelled. "He ran from the face of the King!”

“Well, duh.” Shoutmon grinned briefly, only to glance around the room again. “Still, this is definitely bad news, Taiki. Lillymon, Jijimon, and the other members who were hanging around are okay, but the base is more or less wrecked. More importantly, he escaped!”

“If Quartzmon's on the loose in the Digital World, who knows what'll happen.” Taiki murmured, nodding seriously. “He already caused enough chaos in the Human World – but I wonder, how did he wake up? He turned back into an egg, right?”

“Correct.” Wisemon cut in smoothly. “He wasn't due for hatching until a long while... even though, it  _has_  been a year.”

“His egg was kept hidden, anyway. How the heck did someone manage to get their hands on it?”

“Whatever the case, and while I’d like to know that too, this is definitely bad, Shoutmon.” Taiki shook his head. “We can't go after him.”

“Bad doesn't even begin to describe it. He destroyed the transport machine.” Wisemon sighed, resting a hand against his unseen face. With a pause, the scientist glanced over toward Taiki.

“It just occurred to me, though. Why did you not send X4 after him?”

“... About that...” Taiki started, awkward tone gripping at him. “Everyone is sort of... away?”

Wisemon gave him a look.

“Elaborate, please.”

“Me, Starmon, and the Pickmons were the only ones in the Xros Loader.” Shoutmon interrupted. “He couldn't.”

“So then, Taiki. Does Shoutmon mean to tell me that the only ones within your Xros Loader are the King himself, Starmon, and Pickmons?”

“Well, yes.”

“And if I may inquire, where is the rest of Xros Heart? I remember with clarity that I sent everyone necessary to  _your_  Xros Loader.”

“... With everyone else in their Xros Loaders?”

“So you mean to tell me that Akari and Zenjirou now possess Xros Loaders as well.”

“Yes.”

“And that I can assume the rest of Xros Heart is with those two?”

“... Yes.”

“You believed it would be a good idea to divide Xros Heart in a separate world that we lack the means of communication for.” Wisemon stated.

“...” Taiki groaned. “I didn't know I'd be taken back to the Digital World so suddenly! What did you expect would happen?”

“Certainly not something as trifling as this.” Wisemon sighed, holding a hand to his face, and glancing back at the destroyed mechanism. “Repairs will take some time, and with a threat like that at large, it would be foolish to attempt searching for such an enemy. As I understand, with only the four of us here as of the moment, it would be rather difficult to manage a search for the instigator of this situation.”

“It's out of the question, actually. Which is what I was saying before, Wisemon. If that was really Quartzmon, we'll need everyone to help out.” Taiki nodded, before blinking in realization. “Wait, Shoutmon! Where's the Code Crown? Was it—?”

“The Code Crown's untouchable.” Shoutmon said almost immediately, dismissing Taiki's worries on the situation. “It's only allowed to be touched and used by Digimon and Humans of its choosing.”

“Which is unfortunate, really.” Wisemon sulked under his breath.

“Either way, it might be a good idea to store it in your Xros Loader again, Taiki. I'm not comfortable with leaving it here when Quartzmon's at large.” Shoutmon said idly, glancing back to Wisemon. “Hey, how long do you think it'll take you to rebuild that machine to call for everyone else?”

“As I said _before_ , some time. Furthermore, I imagine it would take a great deal of time to locate the rest of Xros Heart – I only calibrated the machine to target Taiki's Xros Loader, after all.” Wisemon shrugged. “In lighter news, at the very least we know that the transport device is capable of summoning humans to our world. How fun.” Wisemon murmured, eyes expressing the smile on his unseen face as he surveyed the silent machine. “Which reminds me, now that I think about it— how in the world were you summoned to this world the first time?”

“Omegamon did.”

“Omegamon of the Royal Knights?” Wisemon perked up, glancing back at Taiki and Shoutmon.

“I dunno about the “Royal Knight” part, but the guy and the rest of the Chivalric Order were the ones who stopped the Digital World and Human World from colliding with each other.” Shoutmon said, folding his arms. “He's also the one who gave me the ability to super evolve with Akari's courage and Zenjirou's friendship.”

“Contrary to that idea, I did not know that in the slightest. While yes, I overhead the DigiMemories of Examon and WarGreymon explain the truth during Bagramon's D5, this is something I did not know.”

Suddenly, both the Digimon King and Xros Heart General found Wisemon looming over the both of them. Taiki could easily recognize that as one of Wisemon's... moods.

“Tell me more.”

It wasn't a question; it was a demand. However, before Taiki could say anything, Wisemon drifted off into his rambling state. Watching exasperatedly, Taiki could only scratch his cheek and watch in vague amazement.

“Is it correct to assume that evolution has also returned to return to the Digital World? Or is that merely due to the bond of those “Hunters” and their “partners” as you described to me?” Wisemon continued looming over the pair, before stepping back and placing a hand on his cheek in contemplation. “But perhaps that could be the work of the Code Crown.” He glanced at Shoutmon. “After all, I remember you mentioning to me that the Code Crown possessed a will of its own. How remarkable! But surely, if that were the case, evolution should potentially be available to the entirety of the Digital World's population. I'm not sure what to feel about that, but it's certainly an amazing discovery!”

As Wisemon sighed and finally calmed down, he blinked at both Taiki and Shoutmon, thus returning to his original topic of interest.

"So... Royal Knights, Wisemon?" Taiki prompted, waiting for him to go on.

"Ah. You wouldn't know, of course." Wisemon spoke nonchalantly. "Neither would Shoutmon, I imagine. Unless I'm mistaken, you were one of the Digimon born after the Digital World split."

"Yeah, whatever.” Shoutmon frowned. “I said that I didn't know earlier who the Royal Knights were, so get on with it."

"Because you asked so nicely...” He started, rather dryly. “The Royal Knights was an organization of Digimon that used to protect this Digital World prior to the event where it shattered into Zones. During that period, a vast majority of its members vanished without so much of a trace. It's a shame, truly. All thirteen of them were considered the strongest beings in the Digital World, but once Bagramon appeared, they began to systematically disappear. One can only assume he was strong enough to defeat them, which is rather fearsome in hindsight."

“Why do you say that?”

“I suppose, the Royal Knights would be the equivalent of what you humans would call “gods”, or guardian deities.”

“Like Deckerdramon?” Taiki said, memories tracing back to that day and the dreadful love-love dance.

“Certainly.” Wisemon nodded. “But, to put such in perspective, while we know that Deckerdramon was hailed as a deity of love in a single zone... Well. The Royal Knights themselves were considered Guardian Deities and protectors of the Code Crown. The entire world.” He added as an afterthought.

“They must've been lousy protectors.” Shoutmon mumbled.

“Quite the contrary. It's because they disappeared  _before_  the major event that changed this world's future, things happened as they did. I'm certain, if all Thirteen had assembled, Bagramon surely would have been defeated.” Wisemon sighed, waving his hand dismissively. “I'm rather surprised that neither Examon nor Omegamon mentioned anything to either of you. I would have enjoyed such a conversation.” He chuckled. “After all, both Examon and WarGreymon's exposition prior was quite informative.”

“So then... Examon and Omegamon are two members of the Royal Knights, right?” Taiki started, with a contemplative look. “If that's the case, and earlier when you said there were thirteen Royal Knights in total... what happened to the other eleven?”

“No one knows. We certainly can't ask them now that their DigiMemories have vanished from your possession, Taiki.”

“Actually...” Trailing off, the adolescent tugged his Xros Loader case from his belt. Lifting the flap and holding out for both Wisemon and Shoutmon to see, three DigiMemories lined the sides. Pulling each out and resting them in his hand, Taiki found himself donning a puzzled expression.

After pocketing his Xros loader and placing it back in the pouch, he flipped the DigiMemories in his hand, examining them with a slight frown. It had been such a strange thing, too. After saying goodbye to Shoutmon and the rest of Xros Heart when the rift closed, he only realized a couple days later that he still had only these three.

“After the Bagramon's D5, and the DigiMemories came back because of the Code Crown... I didn't realize it until later, but these three were the only ones that I had left.”

“Only three out of fifteen, though? What happened to the rest of them?” Shoutmon asked. The Digimon King frowned, picking a DigiMemory up and examining its face. “And why are they still black? I mean, you've never used them since that time, right, Taiki? I sure as hell don’t remember you using any of them in DigiQuartz.”

“Yeah. It's weird...” Taiki nodded, staring at the three DigiMemories with a puzzled expression. With as much time passing as it did, he figured that they should have been revitalized, or recharged – But as the seasons came to pass, and even after Quartzmon's appearance and the emergence of Digimon Hunters, nothing changed. At times, he vaguely was tempted to try activating and summoning them, but he wasn't willing to do something like that; not when he lacked the knowledge of whose DigiMemory that he possessed, or who he was even calling.

“You can't even tell whose DigiMemories these are.” Taiki murmured, a sudden realization causing him to turn towards Wisemon. “Not only that, but the other twelve–”

“–May have disappeared due to expending all their energy.” Wisemon cut in smoothly, earning a shocked expression from Taiki. With an undisturbed expression, Wisemon reasoned, “It's only logical, is it not?”

“What makes you say that? I mean...”

“They lost their forms prior and exist in a dormant state as DigiMemories.” He elaborated. “Hypothetically, it wouldn't be out of the question for a DigiMemory to cease existing if it used all its power.”

“Then... Were any of those twelve the Royal Knights...?”

“Of course not.” Wisemon replied flatly. “For a fact, I can tell to you that the DigiMemories we have seen prior were not Royal Knights— barring Omegamon and Examon, of course. However, it’s interesting that one of the members of the Chivalric Order was a  _Demon Lord_  of all Digimon, but I digress.”

“Then, so it really was like what Omegamon said. The Fifteen DigiMemories were the members of the Chivalric Order.” Taiki nodded to himself with a comprehending expression. While he wondered briefly about what Wisemon was talking about when he mentioned “Demon Lord”, he chose not to comment. Rather, the idea was pushed to the back of his mind as the General came to a realization. “But, in that case, who were the members of the Royal Knights? Other than Omegamon and Examon – Unless, there's more than just one of them? Considering we've seen several of the same Digimon species...”

“All Royal Knights are unique.”

“Unique?”

“Well, yes. Contrary to what you assume right now, there  _are_  unique species that exist within this world. I don't think I can claim to be the only 'Wisemon' in existence, but I do pride myself in being the 'Wisemon' that is a part of Xros Heart.” Wisemon humming as he placed a hand on where Taiki assumed his chin would be. “In the instance of a unique Digimon, however... I would say Shoutmon is the perfect example.”

“Me?” Shoutmon blinked, as Taiki's gaze shifted back to him.

“Certainly. I'm sure Taiki can agree.” The intellectual said smoothly, glancing to the Xros Heart General. “I don't believe you've ever seen a second Shoutmon running about, have you?”

“I don't think I could ever mistake his shout with anyone else's, either. That's kind of impossible.” Taiki grinned, almost teasingly at the red Digimon. “Besides, I don't think this world would be able to handle a second Shoutmon.”

“I'm glad you and I share the same sentiment, Taiki.” Wisemon chuckled.

“HEY.” Shoutmon raised his voice, glaring at the both of them. A moment after, his expression softened, and he cracked a smirk. It was just like old times – now, if only everyone else were here too. But, was he really the only one of his kind? He kind of wanted to ask, but... asking probably wasn't worth it.

Pausing in contemplation, Shoutmon returned the DigiMemory to Taiki before clearing his throat. “Seriously, if there was a second Shoutmon, he'd never be as good as yours truly!” He grinned, resting his hands on his waist. “I'm the Digimon King, of course! Who needs a bunch of Royal Knights around when the Digital World's got Xros Heart?”

“Before you slander the Royal Knights anymore, you better watch your mouth!”

It was almost a blur.

Reflexively pulling out his microphone, Shoutmon swung towards the metallic flare, locking in a stalemate with his attacker. Spinning and rearing back in a whirl of red, the three present members of Xros Heart prepared for battle— and yet, no other attacks came.

It was a white, dragon-like Digimon, which left Taiki the impression that he looked very much like Shoutmon. However, as the dust settled and a red cape fluttered behind this Digimon, the picture became so much clearer.

It was like Taiki was having déjà vu.

“It's been a while, Shoutmon. And you too, Taiki!” He said enthusiastically while lifting a paw in greeting. After coming to some kind of realization Taiki couldn't quite understand, the Digimon began shaking his head sheepishly.

“... Do we know you?”

“Well, no. I almost forgot that you guys wouldn't remember, but just ignore that, would you?” He grinned, posture relaxing as his composure was regained. “Anyway. It's good to see that you guys've only gotten stronger! But, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?”

“Yes. YOU CAN ALSO EXPLAIN WHY YOU ATTACKED ME WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!” Shoutmon yelled, brandishing his microphone and pointing a finger accusingly. Whatever Taiki felt, he might have not recalled the same feeling due to being riled up. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”

“What? You're a strong guy. You can take it, Shoutmon!” The Digimon laughed. “Besides, mocking the Royal Knights is never a good idea!”

“YOU WERE EAVESDROPPING TOO?”

“Well, there’s a gaping hole in the wall over there.” The caped Digimon grinned as he chided Shoutmon, puffing out his chest before continuing on. “And well, since this time I know you won't forget...” He paused dramatically.

Shoutmon would have none of it.

“ **JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!** ”

“You know, for someone who likes to make showy introductions, you're pretty impatient, Shoutmon.” The caped Digimon laughed. “The name's Hackmon, heir to Gankūmon of the Royal Knights!”

 


	3. Sleipmon of the North, and the Lonely Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the arrival of Hackmon, Taiki and Shoutmon take up his offer to meet with a Hero of the old world.

With Hackmon’s sudden arrival, needless to say, Taiki and Shoutmon were relatively confused. However, Wisemon was an entirely different story.

“Gankūmon of the Royal Knights?” Wisemon said in amazement, hovering over Hackmon in the same manner he had done to both Taiki and Shoutmon. “You speak of the Wandering Knight of the West!?” 

“My grandfather.” Hackmon nodded. “Or guardian! Whatever you prefer. He was also called the Wandering Champion, too.”

“You have a grandfather?” Taiki blurted out.

“What?” Hackmon turned around with an inquisitive expression. “Didn't think that Digimon had families too, Taiki?”

Taiki shook his head. “No, that's not it... It's something else, Hackmon.”

“Really?” Hackmon chimed curiously. “What is it then?”

“Y'know, I get the feeling you're gonna be reaaaaaaally chatty.” Shoutmon grumbled with a visibly annoyed expression.

“Is it because I eavesdropped before?” Hackmon asked. “Well, I couldn’t really find a good place to jump in the conversation, if you know what I mean—”

“No, I mean— You seriously didn't have to attack me!” Shoutmon retorted, folding his arms. “That was _completely_ unnecessary.”

“Oh. That. That's an old instinct of mine. And I'm a man of instinct.” He beamed, puffing up with pride. A moment after staring at Shoutmon, he tilted his head. “You know, Shoutmon? That line's something Omegamon would have said to Grandpa.”

“But you know, when we met Omegamon before...” Taiki trailed off with a thoughtful expression. “He seemed like a very serene Digimon.”

“If I am to believe anything Taiki says in addition to my own observations on the subject, Shoutmon is the complete opposite of 'serene'.”

“HEY.”

“Well, yeah! Omegamon was always super serious, too.”

“I can be serious when it counts!” Shoutmon protested.

“I don't doubt that.” The scion snickered. “It's just... He was the guy always directing everyone else in the Royal Knights when Alphamon was away. Not that they were a rowdy bunch, but... he was kind of awe-inspiring. If you had known him, you would have thought so too.” Hackmon nodded to himself, before pausing again in realization. “...Wait, you guys have met Omegamon!?”

“Yeah.” Taiki nodded “He's the one who saved Shoutmon and brought me and my friends to the Digital World years ago.”

“I thought he disappeared after the Digital World broke apart!” Hackmon exclaimed. “So he’s back? Where is he?”

“He became a DigiMemory because he expended all his power...” Taiki began, scratching his head awkwardly with a puzzled expression. “Ah, wait. Before I explain things, how much do you know, Hackmon?”

“Enough to know about Bagramon and what you guys did for the Digital World, definitely.” He nodded. His expression became somewhat doleful as he continued. “Though... I wasn't one of the Digimon around at the time.”

“Then what the hell were you doing?” Shoutmon snipped. “On a side note, I can't believe this KID is older than I am!”

“Aww, age doesn't have to do much with anything, Shoutmon. Not since evolution is all weird now.” Hackmon laughed. “And well, Taiki, Shoutmon... I'm never around headquarters. Usually.” He shrugged his shoulders briefly before going on to explain. “Grandpa would always take me and the Sistermon with him whenever he went out on a mission— heck, most of the time we never went back unless Grandpa was being debriefed. He always was out and about.”

“Hence his title.” Wisemon nodded to himself.

“Yup.” Hackmon grinned. “Although... Taiki, if it's not too much trouble, do you mind telling me what happened to Omegamon? And, what's a DigiMemory?”

“Allow me to explain.” Wisemon spoke up, raising a hand. “The form of a DigiMemory is what a Digimon within the Chivalric Order took after stopping the Digital World and Human World from colliding into each other. They were scattered, and as you can infer, were collected by Taiki and Shoutmon.”

“So then, all fifteen of them turned into DigiMemories, right?” The caped digimon paused. “Is there any way to turn them back?”

“I'm not sure if that's possible.” Wisemon sighed. “According to Taiki, twelve of them disappeared, while the three that remain have been depowered into a dormant state. While it would be helpful if we knew which ones we were still in possession of, we can't do anything until that Digimon's power recharges. I assume that it never recharged in the human world because there wasn’t adequate Digital Power to siphon energy from— but of course, that’s merely speculation.”

“That sucks.” Hackmon frowned.

“Wait, you understood all of that?” Shoutmon blinked, before shaking his head.

“Not really, no.”

Shoutmon facepalmed.

“… Y’know, I wouldn't put it past the Code Crown being able to do the trick.” The king said, humming thoughtfully as he glanced to Wisemon. “I mean, in the last battle with Bagramon, it temporarily resurrected all of them, right?”

“Indeed.”

“So there's hope!” Hackmon practically shouted.

“Hackmon, if you don't mind me asking... what happened to Gankūmon and... the Sistermon?” Taiki asked with an inquisitive expression. “And what have you been doing for all this time? I mean, the Xros Wars are already long over...”

Hackmon's expression sobered.

“Yeah, there's two Sistermon. Sistermon Noir, and Sistermon Blanc. And me? I've been camping out with Sleipmon...” He trailed off, briefly humming to himself in contemplation as if trying to recall something. “See, a long time ago, Grandpa took in the Sistermon when they were in trouble, and started looking after them. Because of that, the both of them decided to pay their debt to him by doing what he asked-- well, which was to train and chaperone me.”

“So then they were your babysitters.” Shoutmon smirked.

“You don't have to put it that way, Shoutmon.” Hackmon shoved him playfully with a paw, earning a light tap back from the Digimon King. Grinning briefly, he continued. “So basically, Grandpa took me and the Sistermon everywhere where he went. 'Cept on the missions he was specifically told not to-- but on certain occasions, he'd bring only me along. On the other times where he couldn't, he'd leave the Sistermon to train me.” He nodded, a fond smile still present on his features. “Grandpa was one of the strongest Digimon out there! He might have been the Twelfth of the Royal Knights, but he could hold his own against any of them!”

“But,” Taiki paused reluctantly. “What happened to Gankūmon?”

 “... Bagramon happened.”

 “A Royal Knight fell to the Bagra Army?”

 Hackmon nodded reluctantly.

 "It was shortly after UlforceVeedramon and Duftmon disappeared— Um, that's to say, the Fifth and the Fourth. Several other Royal Knights had disappeared at the time too, which was why a meeting was being called. Grandpa didn't want to leave us back at our home in the West, but before we could make it to headquarters, everything went to hell.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Two things happened.” Hackmon explained. “First, Breakdramon appeared out of nowhere, and I can guess that you guys already know what happened, so I'll skip over that. Two: I don't know if you know this part, but in addition to Breakdramon, Bagramon and his army launched a full scale attack against us at the exact same time.”

 Again, Hackmon's expression fell for the second time, as he looked away from the others. It was clear to both Taiki and Shoutmon that he was having difficulty in recalling the event– and neither of them could blame him for it. “Tactimon and his army isolated the four of us. Gankūmon... Grandpa... he...”

 “Gankūmon protected you.” Shoutmon murmured, tone serious since the moment Hackmon had arrived.

 “Yeah. He did.” Hackmon swallowed hard, trying his best to continue. “Tactimon would have killed us too, but Grandpa's Hinakamui took us and protected us – until, everything started to break apart and reformat. It included.

 “I got separated from the Sistermon during that time, and got stuck in this nasty place— Blizzard Zone, or whatever. I definitely wouldn’t recommend that place for a vacation.” Hackmon sighed. “That aside, it was a pretty lucky break for me, because I found Sleipmon underneath the ice.”

 “Sleipmon?” Taiki parroted, with a questioning look. “You’ve mentioned that Digimon several times, but who is he?”

 “Sleipmon is the Tenth Royal Knight.” Wisemon provided. “From what I recall about him, he was the Guardian of the North and protector of valuable information. It’s rather ironic that Bagramon froze him under the ice—“

 “So you think!” Hackmon interrupted. “… Well, you’re not that far off, actually. What Sleipmon did was that he created a second tundra to hide himself and the Temple of Creation from the Bagra Army. When he saw me out and about, he took me in and told me that we wouldn’t confront the Bagra Army.” Hackmon shook his head distastefully. “Of course, that meant Bagramon ended up getting the Code Crown from that zone… but they never found the temple, thanks to Sleipmon. Man, I really wanted to fight back during that time!”

 “In the long run, it was probably for the best that you and Sleipmon remained hidden from Bagramon.” Wisemon commented. “If he had found and subdued you both, you wouldn’t be here to tell us this story.”

 “True.” Hackmon conceded. “Besides, it was thanks to you guys that Bagramon was defeated and the world was brought back to normal— Well, as normal as things are to this point. Things are still waaaaaay different from what I remember, haha.” The scion grinned at Shoutmon. “So I guess I have to thank you for doing what the Royal Knights couldn’t, Digimon King.”

 “You’re welcome.” Shoutmon said as he puffed out his chest proudly. Taiki couldn’t help but chuckle at the display for a moment, before he went to look at Hackmon.

 “How were things different from before, Hackmon?”

 “Well, Digimon could instantly Digivolve for one, Taiki.”

 “How is that any different?” Shoutmon asked. “A bunch of Digimon can do that kind of thing now, myself included!”

 “Well, yeah.” Hackmon said matter-of-factly. “I’ve seen you do it.”

 Before Shoutmon could demand an answer for that, Wisemon butted in, and shoved his face right in front of Hackmon’s. There was a gleam in his eyes that Taiki knew all too well.

 "What is the Temple of Creation?" Wisemon asked, eyes glowing.

 "Wouldn't you like to know.” Hackmon snickered. “Too bad I'm not going to tell you, because that's not what I'm here for. I'm on official Royal Knight business."

 Wisemon clicked his tongue.

 "You aren't a Royal Knight."

 "Not yet I'm not!" Hackmon yelled defensively. “Anyway, about that business I was sent here for… Well, Sleipmon sent me to get into contact with you guys!”

 “What would a Royal Knight want with Xros Heart?” Taiki asked with a questioning expression.

 “Well, who wouldn’t want to meet the heroes who saved the Digital World?” Hackmon asked in response, causing Taiki to scratch his cheek. “Well, he mostly wants to meet you and Shoutmon.” The scion glanced to Wisemon. “Definitely not that guy.”

 “Rude.”

 “Didn’t you say you had a machine to fix?” Hackmon asked as he prodded Wisemon’s robes.

 “Just how much _were_ you listening in, Hackmon?” Taiki spoke up, hoping to draw their attention away from each other.

 “After Shoutmon SH nuked your base with sparkles.”

 “THE WAY YOU PUT THAT MAKES US SOUND LAME!”

 “Yeah! What do you have against stars and glittering!?” Starmon piped up behind Shoutmon, as all the other Pickmons began bouncing in dismay.

 “No, no, no offense to you guys.” Hackmon waved dismissively. “It was really showy, but nowhere near _those guys’_ level…”

 “Who now?” Shoutmon asked, folding his arms.

 “Oh, just—“

 “Hey, can we get back on topic?” Taiki interrupted, sighing as he glanced at everyone. “Hackmon, telling us why Sleipmon wants to meet Shoutmon and I would be pretty helpful.”

 “Well, he has a request for you two.” Hackmon informed. “The two of us have been keeping quiet since the Xros Wars have ended, and since the two of you have been gone from the Digital World for a really long time because of that DigiQuartz thing, neither of us knew how to really get into contact with both of you.” The caped scion sighed. “But it looks like it’s back now, isn’t it? Quartzmon?”

 “Unfortunately.” Wisemon murmured. “Which is why, as you overheard, we are attempting to mobilize the rest of Xros Heart by repairing the machine he destroyed.”

 “Well… it would be really great if you both could come with me to meet him.” Hackmon murmured. “I swear, it probably won’t take all that long!”

 "Well…” Shoutmon scratched his cheek, before glancing up at Taiki. “What do you think, Taiki? Our base is kind of wrecked right now, but a lot of our members are unharmed. Quartzmon is running free, and there’s no telling what he’ll do— but like you said, we can’t go after him unless we have everyone else back.”

 With a contemplative expression, Taiki glanced towards Hackmon. “How long do you suppose it’ll take, Hackmon? Is he all the way where the Blizzard Zone would be?”

 “Thankfully, no. He came with me this time— but he’s not _here_ , of course.” Hackmon murmured. “We’ve been laying low in the outskirts of some village. He said he found something he wanted to keep an eye on.”

 “The Village of Smiles?” Shoutmon asked.

 “Naaaah. You’ll see soon enough— If you follow me, that is.” The scion nodded. “What’ll it be, Taiki? Shoutmon?”

 

* * *

 

 Ultimately, Taiki has ended up agreeing to Hackmon’s request. After informing Wisemon to keep the base on high alert, as well as storing the Code Crown into his Xros Loader to charge the DigiMemories as of Shoutmon’s request, he super evolved Shoutmon to OmegaShoutmon to reach their destination quickly.

 As Hackmon described, up north, there was a small settlement of a town that straddled on the dividing line between a mountainous wasteland, and a verdant forest. As OmegaShoutmon landed and reverted back into Shoutmon, Hackmon began to guide them into the forest.

 “This isn’t going to be a trap of some kind, isn’t it?” Shoutmon asked rather suspiciously. “Now that I think about it, you appearing out of nowhere right after Quartzmon attacked is kinda shady.”

 “Well, I was camping outside your base and waiting for some kind of indication that you two were back.” Hackmon supplied as he cast a glance back to Shoutmon. “Looks like that patience paid off, didn’t it?”

 With nothing else to say, Shoutmon fell silent.

 Night fell with their arrival. As the three of them navigated through the woods, the deeper they went, frost began to gather and cling to the trunks of trees and crunch underfoot. Eventually, they came across a clearing where it became cold enough for breath to condensate— and there, they were met.

 In the midst of the clearing, a bizarre, bestial figure stood in the moonlit frost. It was nothing like Taiki had ever seen. Despite that, this Digimon was completely armored in red with a fuchsia mane— bringing a striking contrast to the whiteness of the frozen forest.  Like how Omegamon towered over Taiki and Shoutmon, this Royal Knight was equally regal, in every sense of the word.

 “It’s pleasure to meet you at last, Xros Heart General and Digimon King.” He spoke coolly, as Hackmon hopped over to his side. “I am Sleipmon, Guardian of the North, and Tenth of the Royal Knights.”

 “Sorry for taking so long.” Hackmon chimed to Sleipmon, as he raised a paw in greeting.

 “It’s fine. I understand the King had far more pressing matters to attend to.” Sleipmon nodded in acknowledgement. Pausing, he approached Taiki and Shoutmon before bowing his head out of respect. “I apologize for being unable to aid you in the Xros Wars. Keeping the Temple of Creation hidden from the Bagra Army was a far more pressing matter.”

 “Judging by the name, I can tell it was.” Taiki murmured.

 “Excuses aside, it was my wish to meet you both to confirm something.” The Knight went on to say. Attentively, Sleipmon turned towards Shoutmon, and stared rather intently. “I wish to see the worth of the Kings the Code Crown has chosen.”

 “We saved the Digital World.” Shoutmon stated, looking back at Sleipmon almost challengingly. “What more do you want?”

 “The measure of a King does not lie in the weight of the deeds they’ve done.” Sleipmon said icily. “Fame is a double-edged sword, King. I would be wary to flaunt status, if I were you.”

 At Sleipmon’s words, Shoutmon refused to back down.

 “Says the guy clinging to a title. What do I have to prove to you?” He retorted, glaring at the Royal Knight. “I did what I did to protect the smiles of the Digital World, and I’ll keep doing that as their King!”

 “Which is why I have a request for you, Digimon King.”

 “What if I refuse?”

 “You would fail to protect someone you’ve declared to be a part of your protectorate.”

 “I doubt you’re in serious need of _my_ help.” Shoutmon snorted.

 “Who said _I_ was the one in need of your assistance?”

 A chilling silence fell. Taiki, during this time, had his curiosity piqued— but he had a feeling that there was something more to Sleipmon’s words than what the Royal Knight was letting on.

 “What are you asking us to do, Sleipmon?” Taiki spoke up, standing now at Shoutmon’s side. Though Shoutmon cast Taiki a glance, the Xros Heart General remained undeterred. “You waited for all this time to talk to us, and I don’t think you called us here just to provoke Shoutmon.”

“Perceptive. I came here to confirm something other than your worth.” Sleipmon murmured. “Previous times, it has escaped my notice, but this time is different. Before, I merely wished to talk, but a more pressing matter has made itself apparent to me.”

 “And what would that be?” Taiki asked. “If it’s so pressing, I have to ask, why wouldn’t you take care of it yourself?”

 “I request this of you, because it is not my place to intervene.” Sleipmon stated. “In the village you passed before, a Digimon with a dangerous existence has been growing in rapidly strength.”

 “And what else?” Shoutmon cut in. “Did you want us to save the village from it, or—?”

 “I request you to save that Digimon.”

 “It’s settled then.” Taiki said instantly, without hesitation. Almost immediately, Shoutmon let out a strangled sound, before pinching the bridge of his nose.

 “Taiki, are you sure about this?” The young King protested. “We barely know what’s going on, and the guy’s being vague as hell!”

 “I’m still here.”

 “Yeah—Well—“

 “Well, you know, Shoutmon.” Taiki chuckled awkwardly. “When I hear something like that, I can’t turn my back on them.”

 “… Goddamn it Taiki.”

For all the time Shoutmon had known Taiki, he knew it was impossible to talk him out of something once he had decided not to turn his back. With a sigh of defeat, Shoutmon briefly shook his head disapprovingly before glancing back up at Sleipmon. Before he could say anything, Hackmon bounded up to him, stood of his hind legs, and put Shoutmon into a friendly headlock.

 “Looks like you guys are doing it.” Hackmon chimed. “Since Sleipmon can’t move freely, I’ll be keeping you guys company. Just in case if you need the extra help.”

 “Admittedly, I think we’ll need all the help we can get.” Taiki smiled. “Aside from what Sleipmon’s told us, we still have no idea what we’ll be up against.” He murmured, looking at the Royal Knight from the corner of his eye. “I assume that’s all a part of your request to test us. Even still… I’m more concerned over this Digimon you want us to save.”

 Sleipmon didn’t say anything in response. Still, Taiki glanced over to where Shoutmon and Hackmon were. The King seemed to be mildly exasperated with how jovial Hackmon seemed to be.

 “You seem waaay too eager for this.”

 “Aren’t you, Shoutmon? I’m always in the mood for a bit of adventure. It’s all part about being a man of instinct.” Hackmon grinned. “Let’s work well together!”

 “And, if I may, Xros Heart General.” Sleipmon spoke up.

 “Yes, Sleipmon?”

 “That Digimon… it refuses to act in the day. If you head back to that village, you will see that Digimon on this very night.” He said enigmatically, as he bowed his head and began to retreat back into the woods. “Best of luck to you.”

 

* * *

 

 “I still have no idea what we’re supposed to be waiting for.” The caped scion yawned. At this point, Hackmon had curled under his own cape and was using it as a blanket. “He never said there was a guarantee we’d see what we’re looking for, so can’t we just get some shut eye or something? And then we can go looking for this Digimon in the morning?”

“… And you said you would be helpful. No wonder you had babysitters.” Shoutmon muttered chidingly, as he overlooked the village from a nearby hill. “Are you sure you don’t know anything, Hackmon?”

“Believe me, if I knew any hints, I would have already told ‘em to you guys.” Hackmon sighed tiredly. “Do we have to camp up here, Taiki?”

“You’re welcome to sleep inside the Xros Loader if you want, Hackmon.” Taiki suggested. “You too, Shoutmon.”

“Naaah, I’m fine. I’ve pulled all-nighters before.” Shoutmon waved off. “You can go to sleep if _you_ want, Taiki.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I want to keep my eyes open.”

“Well, I’m gonna nab some shut eye. Wake me up if you need me.” Hackmon yawned again, rather politely holding a paw over his maw as he did so. After he finished, Taiki obliged and loaded him into the Xros Loader.

Despite his words, Taiki was undoubtedly tired. It had been a long, and increasingly eventful day.

Yet, it ultimately was Taiki’s suggestion that had brought them up here, to the bluffs of the mountain to watch the village. Despite it being chilling like the forest they had left hours before, Taiki found it was the best way to overlook the village without intruding and alerting of whoever they were supposed to find.

At least, Taiki had the impression that he and Shoutmon’s fame would be detrimental towards catching their target. Sleipmon certainly seemed to imply it, if his words were any indication.

Taiki wondered. What was it that only he and Shoutmon could do, that a Royal Knight couldn’t? Not after hearing so much praise about them and their heroism from Wisemon and Hackmon… there had to be something more. Why would Sleipmon— A Digimon called a Guardian Deity by Wisemon and someone who was supposed to be on par with Omegamon— want an allegedly dangerous Digimon to be saved?

How dangerous could this Digimon be, if a Royal Knight acknowledged that?

Why would Sleipmon choose to do nothing, and instead test Taiki and Shoutmon by having them deal with it?

Despite all of Taiki’s questions, a noise below caught his attention. Rather… it was a sound that seemed to come from far away from the Northern Desert. As the moments passed, it became progressively louder; Shoutmon immediately took notice, glancing to Taiki as if waiting for orders. Taiki merely held finger to his lips, and quickly ushered Shoutmon away from the edge of the bluff to remain out of sight.

As the uniform sound drew near, despite the cover of night, Shoutmon and Taiki identified it as the unmistakable sound of marching. With the sudden intensity in the air, both the King and his General no longer had the desire to sleep. Instead, they watched the silhouettes come closer, until their shapes became identifiable in the moonlight.

“The D-Brigade.” Shoutmon hissed, baring his teeth as he dug his hands into the stone underneath them. “If this is what Sleipmon was talking about saving these guys, this has to be the _dumbest_ joke I’ve ever heard.”

“What’s the D-Brigade?” Taiki whispered quietly, without taking his eyes off the platoon of Digimon; enemies, he presumed.

“They’re a bunch of war nuts who haven’t registered that the Xros Wars are over.” Shoutmon shook his head disapprovingly, twitching in place as if he wanted to apprehend them all right there and then. To steady his partner, Taiki placed a hand on Shoutmon’s shoulder, and again eased him away from the edge. “They cause trouble for everyone by raiding and seizing small villages like these for their “base of operations”. To give you an idea of how bad these guys are, they say that they willingly joined up with Bagramon when he was still around.”

“You don’t think they were planning to take this village to use it as a base to attack Xros Heart, do you, Shoutmon?” Taiki asked warily.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the case. We’ve had to chase ‘em out of other villages before, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a vendetta of some kind.” Shoutmon glared, clearly tense. “I thought their numbers had thinned out, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Let’s hope you aren’t too wrong.”

Thanks to the cover of night, Taiki could only count ten small figures— He assumed there were more, but their camouflage blended well in the darkness to the point where he couldn’t see much of anything. Already, with a glance to his partner, he could tell that Shoutmon was seething on the spot.

“Taiki, I don’t like this.”

“I can tell.”

“I _know_ you can, and I’m gonna tell you right now you’re not gonna like this either.” Shoutmon snapped. “If what I’m thinking is right, they’re going to raid that village and kill everyone there.”

“Kill?” Taiki parroted, this time with a startled expression. “But why would they—“

“Just look at how many of them there are!” He nearly shouted, but quieted back down seconds after as a beam of light shone in their direction. Immediately, Taiki forcefully pulled Shoutmon down to stay hidden, before shooting a questioning expression over to his partner.

After a moment, Shoutmon spoke again—this time, with a hushed whisper despite his obvious aggravation. “I can see 30-something of those bastards. For a village this small, why else would they possibly bring a goddamn platoon of Commandramon? Let me step in before this gets ugly!” Shoutmon shook Taiki’s shoulder, almost demandingly. Still, the expression on his partner’s face threw him off-guard. By now, Taiki should have set up for him to Super Evolve, and yet—

As the Commandramon edged closer to the village, panic easily began to grip at Shoutmon. Insistently, he shook his partner's shoulder– what was Taiki waiting for?! Was he hesitating?

“Taiki!” Shoutmon called out his name. “TAIKI—“

“Do you hear that?” Taiki asked abruptly, pointing to the outskirts below. “Shoutmon, look!”

Initially, the sound had been so faint he hadn’t caught it— it was a hum, almost. A hum that roared to life. As Shoutmon’s attention shifted back to the village, he could clearly see it.

A large, imposing figure had intercepted the D-Brigade and began fighting them on the outskirts of the village. It was still far too dark for Taiki and Shoutmon to properly see what was happening at this distance, but the both of them knew that a fight had begun. 

At the same moment, the sound of footsteps drew near to both Taiki and Shoutmon. Without batting an eye, Shoutmon materialized his microphone and slammed it into the face of a Commandramon with enough force to knock it over the cliff.

“Taiki, they know we’re here too now!” Shoutmon took a fighting stance as four more Commandramon began opening fire on them. Without hesitation, Shoutmon picked up Taiki and moved to a place that provided solace from the gunfire. Once clear, Taiki put his back against the wall and readied his Xros Loader.

“Not only that, but I think the Digimon that we’re supposed to save is down there.” Taiki said, tone urgent. “And if we’re supposed to save him, that’s where we’re supposed to be! Hackmon, are you awake?!”

“ _Now I am!_ ” Hackmon chimed from the Xros Loader. “ _Is there a fight going on? Do you need my help? Are you gonna Xros me with Shoutmon?!_ ”

“YOU TALK TOO MUCH!” Shoutmon roared, as he threw a fireball at one of the Commandramon and ducked back for cover. “ARE WE GONNA DO THIS OR WHAT, TAIKI!?”

The Xros Loader shone.  
  
“Shoutmon! Hackmon!” Taiki called. “ **DIGIXROS**!”

Instantaneously, scion’s shape changed. Tough claws fit over Shoutmon’s hands, almost like spiked gauntlets, as Hackmon’s metallic hide became prominent over where Shoutmon was already armored. Lastly, Hackmon’s iconic cape settled over Shoutmon’s shoulders as he grinned, jabbing into the air before settling down.

“ **HackShoutmon**!” He announced confidently.

“HackShoutmon,” Taiki started. “There are four—“

“FOUR!” The Xrosed Digimon called shouted. “I GOT THIS!”

At the same moment, he darted out from behind the wall, screaming loudly to the point where even Taiki was caught off guard.

The Xros Heart General wasn’t the only one taken aback, however. The Commandramon were equally started by the sudden gung-ho display to the point where they were too shocked to fire. Taking advantage of this, HackShoutmon slammed a fist into the nearest one, thus knocking them out and over the edge with an undignified yelp.

“THREE!”

As the others regained their composure and began shooting again, HackShoutmon brought his arms up to guard his face from the bullets— all of which ricocheted off of his gloves harmlessly as he dashed towards them.

Scrambling, one of them pulled a pin and yelled, “D- **DCD Bomb**!”

An object— a grenade— was thrown right as HackShoutmon’s face. Unable to stop himself completely, he used his running momentum to deliver an uppercut right to the grenade— hitting the canister into the air where it exploded harmlessly.

As the Commandramon floundered, HackShoutmon took the opportunity to punch him right in the face, thus incapacitating him. Without further warning, he hauled the unconscious body and threw it off the cliff.

“TWO!”

With a sidestep, HackShoutmon began to duck and weave through another wave of bullets, building momentum as he darted to one of the two remaining units. Alarmed, they began to back off and retreat down the bluff— However, HackShoutmon proved too fast to flee from. In an instant, he struck the second Commandramon into the ground, leaving a crater-like impression of the Digimon before it vanished into gold specks.

“ **ONE.** ”

As he charged forward to the last one, his armored fists began to burn hot red, before igniting in a furious blaze.

“ **METAL UPPER**!”

Shouting now, HackShoutmon released a flurry of punches against the last Commandramon, before a torrent of fire shot out of his fist. As the Commandramon was launched into the air and split apart into golden sparks, HackShoutmon seemed startled by his own attack. With an exhilarated expression, he glanced back to Taiki and shook his fists.

“Did you see that, Taiki!?”

Speechless, Taiki only nodded before running out of his hiding spot to where HackShoutmon was. It was clear for now, but still… this Xros seemed too wild for Taiki to keep track of. If he kept running off like that, there would be no telling what would happen— therefore…

“Xros Open!” Taiki said commandingly.

Immediately, both Hackmon and Shoutmon split apart. The former looked as if he had the time of his life, while the latter was looked considerably winded.

“Wow, that felt great! Don’t you think so?” Hackmon said with a pleasant expression, laughing as he nudged Shoutmon.

“… I’ve never xrossed with someone so enthusiastic for battle.” Shoutmon groaned.

“Save it for later you two, we’ve still got work to do.” Taiki chided, directing the both of them to take the lead as they ran down the mountainside post-haste. “We still haven’t found the Digimon Sleipmon mentioned! Hackmon, you take the front while Shoutmon guards our backs!”

“Got it!” Shoutmon responded. Hackmon on the other hand, let out a low whistle as his gaze trailed to the village outskirts.

“I don’t think there’ll be much for us to do if we don’t get there faster, guys.” The scion commented as he ran down. “It looks like the guy we’re supposed to be saving is already saving the village.”

It was true. As Taiki looked on, he could easily see a flare of golden specks— whoever was fighting the D-Brigade was scarily skilled in fighting them… Without stopping for anything, when the three of them finally reached the bottom and began running towards the fray, they found that the fighting had come to a complete standstill. Both parties stood in opposition of each other, waiting.

Now that Taiki had a better view, he could see that his Digimon had a dragon-like appearance; he was armored red, and had gold eyes with pupils narrowed into slits. His attention was trained on those in front of him. Before him, appeared to be the leader of the Commandramon— like them, he was armored in military-like gear. At the commanding officer’s sides, stood five Commandramon— rifles pointed, and fingers on the trigger and sights aimed at the gargantuan Digimon.

“You’ve taken out many of us in these passing months. I’m not sure if I should commend you, or be insulted,” The Officer spoke, rifle poised. “MegaloGrowlmon.”

“You picked the wrong village to mess with, Sealsdramon.” The Digimon growled menacingly, glowering down at the remaining members of the platoon. The ground shook as he advanced farther from the village, his body emitting a faint red glow. “This place is _not_ for you to have!”

“You heard him.” Sealsdramon laughed. “TAKE IT BY FORCE, BOYS!”

As gunfire broke out, Taiki, Shoutmon, and Hackmon sprinted forward again— this time, Taiki’s Xros Loader was emitting a golden shine. At the same time, while the Commandramon charged forward, MegaloGrowlmon made his move without advancing a single step.

“Shoutmon! Su—“

“ **Atomic BLASTER**!”

MegaloGrowlmon pivoted on his heel. The faint red glow that enveloped him grew, before concentrating on his chest and unleashing two massive energy beams. In a single sweep, he annihilated everything in his path. Where the Commandramon had once been, naught but golden flecks of data remained as the beam melted through the land itself. As the blast subsided, WarGrowlmon’s body lapsed into a state of cooldown… it was there, he realized his mistake.

Sealsdramon had evaded his attack.

He had sacrificed his men and was now making a mad dash towards MegaloGrowlmon with knife poised— aimed for the mark on his chest. In his giddy glee that he would finally be rid of his opposition, Sealsdramon began to laugh, just as the knife struck.

Or would have.

With a flash of gold, OmegaShoutmon dropkicked him out of the way. Relentlessly, the Digimon King launched Sealsdramon in the air before striking him down into the ground with a Beat Slash. Upon impact, Sealsdramon’s scouter broke, as he clawed his way out of the crater. Before he could, OmegaShoutmon landed in front of him, kicking away his knife before shortly stomping his untouched rifle into pieces with a glowering expression.

“You’ve got some nerve, you bastard.” OmegaShoutmon spat.

MegaloGrowlmon, on the other hand, looked stunned as he laid eyes on the king, but furthermore… Taiki and Hackmon had now run to his side too. Sealsdramon seemed unsurprised by OmegaShoutmon’s appearance.

“Xros Heart?” MegaloGrowlmon’s voice no longer sounded menacing in the slightest. Rather, his eyes had dilated back to normal, and he seemed to be looking on at OmegaShoutmon in awe.

“That’s them!” Hackmon chimed happily as Taiki strode close to OmegaShoutmon and Sealsdramon, who was now being detained by the former. “Pretty cool, aren’t they?”

“How long have you been attacking this village?” Taiki asked, not paying attention to Hackmon and MegaloGrowlmon’s idle conversation. Instead, he had folded his arms and was staring at Sealsdramon with a hard gaze. Instead of answering, Sealsdramon merely laughed, which prompted OmegaShoutmon to speak up.

“If you don’t answer to him, you’re going to answer to ME.” OmegaShoutmon said harshly. Still, while he had ceased his laughter, Sealdramon gave them both a lopsided smile. It was off-putting to them both, to say in the least.

“He’s been attacking this village for several months now.” MegaloGrowlmon answered, almost meekly, as he tread over to where both Taiki and OmegaShoutmon were. “I’ve been fighting him and his men off for that time.”

“Is that true?” Taiki asked again, more insistently.

“Ha. Sure it is. And what’re ya gonna do about it, General of Xros Heart?” Sealsdramon simpered in a mocking tone.

“OmegaShoutmon, did you disarm him?” Taiki said, glancing at his partner.

“Already done.” The Digimon King said smoothly. “Anything else, Taiki?”

“Let him go.”

At that moment, everyone, including Sealsdramon stared at Taiki with varying degrees of confusion, with the most confused one being MegaloGrowlmon. While OmegaShoutmon made a face of disapproval, ultimately, after destroying all of Sealsdramon’s weapons, he released him from his grasp.

“—And don’t even _think_ about turning around.” OmegaShoutmon said threateningly as he shoved Sealsdramon forward.

“Sir, yes sir.” Rather mockingly, Sealsdramon made an overdramatic salute before running off into the desert.

“That guy’s annoying.” Hackmon chimed, after Sealsdramon was no longer in view.

“Thank you, for stating the obvious.” MegaloGrowlmon said exasperatedly. As OmegaShoutmon turned back to look at him, it wasn’t lost to the Digimon King that the Digimon was rather displeased with his general’s decision. Oddly enough, as soon as MegaloGrowlmon realized that OmegaShoutmon was looking at him, he began fidgeting in place.

Still, moments later, with nothing else to be done, OmegaShoutmon’s evolution wore off— as he reverted to Shoutmon, he sighed and nudged Taiki’s arm.

“Was that really a good idea? Letting that guy go like that?” Shoutmon questioned. Even as he continued to stare at Taiki, expectant for an answer to his question, he was rather irked when his general turned his attention to MegaloGrowlmon.

“So, MegaloGrowlmon, was it?” Taiki asked with a friendly tone. Again, though not to the degree he was doing earlier, the cyborg Digimon nodded nervously.

“Ah, yes.” His tone was a little awkward, but polite. It was almost comical to see a huge Digimon look so nervous, but regardless, he seemed to be hanging on Taiki’s every word. “If I’m allowed to ask, General—“

“Huh?” Taiki blinked, almost surprised at the formality. “Just call me Taiki.”

“U-Um.” MegaloGrowlmon stuttered, fidgeting in place again. “I was w-wondering…”

“Yeah?” Shoutmon stepped forward, looking on in mild confusion. Taiki, in turn, tilted his head with curiosity.

For several moments, MegaloGrowlmon seemed to be at odds with himself. Between stammering incoherently and opening his jaw to speak without saying anything, he seemed… flustered.

“MegaloGrowlmon?” Taiki asked questioning, staring with vague concern.

“C—“ He stumbled, seemingly trying his best not to flail on the spot. “Can I-I have your autographs?!”


End file.
